Portable Air Cooling System

ABSTRACT

A portable air cooling system having a housing having an air inlet, an air outlet, an exterior surface and an interior cavity. A fan is axially disposed within the interior cavity for generating an air flow drawn from the air inlet, through the interior cavity and discharged through the air outlet. A photovoltaic panel is electrically coupled to the fan and provides sufficient electrical generating capacity to at least power the fan during daylight hours. A hydrating element is disposed intermediate the air inlet and air outlet for providing evaporative cooling. A cooling element is disposed intermediate the air inlet and air outlet and provides convective cooling by thermal transfer with a cold active cooling media such as water ice, dry ice or Gel Pack.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable

RELEVANT FIELD

This application is directed generally toward an evaporative cooling system and more specifically toward a portable solar powered evaporative cooling system.

BACKGROUND

Numerous types of evaporative cooling systems are known in the relevant art. For example, “swamp coolers” are commonly used to evaporative cooling of homes and businesses located in arid regions. The swamp coolers are effective when used in the low humidity environments encountered in arid regions but are bulky, non-portable, and require constant water and energy supplies in order to operate. In many common situations, a need arises to provide air cooling for comfort and/or electronic equipment operation in locations lacking supplies or water or electrical power. For example, military troops dispatched to remote desert locations, persons camping in remote wilderness areas and/or disaster relief in locations affected by natural or man-made disasters.

SUMMARY

In view of the foregoing, various exemplary embodiments of a portable cooling system are disclosed herein. The exemplary embodiments described herein provides an inexpensive portable cooling system which is not dependent on electrical grid infrastructures. In an exemplary embodiment, a portable air cooling system is comprised of a housing having an air inlet, an air outlet, an exterior surface and an interior cavity. A fan is axially disposed within the interior cavity for generating an air flow by drawing from the air inlet, through the interior cavity and discharging the air through the air outlet. In various exemplary embodiments, a flexible exhaust duct may be coupled to the air outlet. Alternately, a rotatable register may be utilized to direct the air flow from the air outlet.

A photovoltaic panel is electrically coupled to the fan for powering the fan at least during daylight hours. The photovoltaic panel is sized to provide sufficient electrical generating capacity to power the fan. Photovoltaic panel may be coupled to the housing with a adjustable and/or pivoting geometric mount for positioning of the photovoltaic panel to obtain maximum electrical output therefrom.

A cooling element is disposed within the interior cavity between the air inlet and air outlet and aligned such that its predominate face intersects the air flow broadside relative to its predominate face. The cooling element is configured to allow air to flow therethrough allowing heat to be transferred from the air to the cooling element. In one exemplary embodiment, the housing includes thermal insulation between its inner and outer walls. In this exemplary embodiment, the insulation generally surrounds the cooling element to maintain the cooling element below ambient temperatures.

In various exemplary embodiments, the active cooling media may be water ice, dry ice, refrigerant gel, or any combination thereof. The refrigerant gel may comprised of hydroxyethyl cellulose, vinyl coated silica gel or any other media having a sufficient latent heat capacity. The various active cooling media may be suspended in a mesh having sufficient porosity to allow air flow therethrough. In other exemplary embodiments, one or more commercially available GelPacks may be used as the active cooling media.

In one exemplary embodiment, the portable cooling system may include a hydrating element which is disposed intermediate the air inlet and air outlet. As with the cooling element, the hydrating element is aligned such that a predominate face of the hydrating element intersects the air flow broadside with its predominate face. The hydrating and cooling elements may be combined into a single element. For example, water ice may serve to provide both humidity to accomplish evaporative cooling as well as removing heat from the air flow. In various exemplary embodiments, the active hydrating media may be water or water ice absorbed into a cellulose, wood fiber, sponge, cloth, cloth-paper and/or clay media.

In one exemplary embodiment, the cooling element may be disposed in a spaced series relationship with the hydrating element.

In one exemplary embodiment, a desiccating element may be disposed intermediate the air inlet and the hydrating element. The desiccating element is intended to be used in locations where high humidity conditions exists. The desiccating element is optional in most circumstances.

In one exemplary embodiment, a particulate filter element may be disposed intermediate the air inlet and the hydrating element. The particulate filter is intended to be used in dusty or sandy environments where particulates are of concern. Likewise, the particulate filter is optional in most circumstances.

In various exemplary embodiments, the hydrating element and/or cooling elements may be disposed in separate compartments within the interior cavity of the housing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The features and advantages of the various exemplary embodiments will become apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Where possible, the same reference numerals and characters are used to denote like features, elements, components or portions of the inventive embodiments. It is intended that changes and modifications can be made to the described exemplary embodiments without departing from the true scope and spirit of the inventive embodiments described herein and as is defined by the claims.

FIG. 1—depicts an isometric view of a portable air cooling system in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 2—depicts a transparent isometric view of a portable air cooling system in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 3—depicts a top view of a portable air cooling system in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 4—depicts a block diagram of an electrical system in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 5A—depicts a perspective view of an active cooling media in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 5B—depicts a perspective view of another active cooling media in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various exemplary embodiments of a portable air cooling system are disclosed herein. In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present inventive embodiments. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that the present inventive embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures, devices or components may be shown in block diagram form in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present inventive embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 1, an isometric view of a portable air cooling system 100 in accordance with an exemplary embodiment is depicted. In this exemplary embodiment, the portable air cooling system 100 includes a housing 5 constructed of a generally rigid and non-corroding material. In a preferred embodiment, the housing 5 is constructed from a lightweight polymeric material. Suitable polymers for construction of the housing 5 include but are not limited to acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), neoprene, ethylene propylene-diene monomer (EPDM) and/or other thermoplastics. The selected polymeric material may preferably include ultraviolet light protective additives to prevent solar degradation of the housing 5. Alternately, the housing 5 may also be constructed from lightweight metals such as aluminum alloys or galvanized sheet metal. The shape and dimensions of the housing 5 is not critical. One skilled in the art will appreciate that the shape and dimensions may be varied to accomplish a particular design objective.

The housing 5 includes one or more air intake 10, 10′ ports from which ambient air is drawn into an interior cavity 5A, 5B (FIG. 3) of the housing 5. The housing further includes one or more discharge ports 15 for releasing water vapor used in evaporative cooling of the air drawn into the interior cavity 5A, 5B (FIG. 3) of the housing 5. The top of the housing 5 may include a lid 20 pivotally attached to the housing with hinges 25, 25′ for allowing access into the interior cavity 5A, 5B (FIG. 3) of the housing 5.

Power for the portable air cooling system 100 may be generated by a photovoltaic panel 30. The photovoltaic panel 30 may be coupled to the housing 5 typically with a multi-axis mount 35. The mount 35 allows azimuth and/or elevation positioning 35′ of the photovoltaic panel 30. The use of the multi-axis mount 35 is optional as the lightweight construction of the portable air cooling system 100 allows positioning of the photovoltaic panel 30 by simply reorienting the alignment of the housing 5 in a direction which provides the maximum solar exposure incident on the photovoltaic panel 30. The photovoltaic panel 30 may be attached either to the lid 20 or a side of the housing 5 via the mount 35. Typical electrical power generation by the photovoltaic panel 30 is in the range of 25-100 watts. One skilled in the art will appreciate that the electrical power generating capacity of the photovoltaic panel 30 is largely dependent on the scaling of the portable air cooling system 100 and internal fan 225 (FIG. 2) electrical current requirements.

A flexible exhaust duct 40 may be connected at an air outlet end 245 (FIG. 2) of the housing 5. The flexible exhaust duct 40 is used to routed cooled air flow into a particular location or enclosed structure. The flexible exhaust duct 40 may be constructed of any convenient material, preferably a lightweight and light colored polymeric or polymeric/canvas material. Alternately, a rotatable register may be utilized to direct the air flow from the air outlet (not shown.)

Referring to FIG. 2, a transparent isometric view of a portable air cooling system 100 in accordance with an exemplary embodiment is depicted. In this exemplary embodiment, the housing 5 is shown in dotted lines to allow viewing of the major internal components of the portable air cooling system 100. As mentioned previously, air 200 is drawn into the interior cavity 5A, 5B of the housing 5 with an axially mounted fan 225. The axially mounted fan 225 may be 12 or 24 VDC powered. A high efficiency fan capable of generating air flows in a range of 40-400 CFM should be acceptable for most common configurations. One skilled in the art will appreciate that the flow capacity of the fan may be varied to accomplish a particular design objective.

In one exemplary embodiment, a particulate filter 205 is mounted immediately downstream of the air intake ports 10 and is used to remove particulate matter such as dust, sand and/or allergens from the air 200 drawn into the housing 5. The particulate filter 205 may be of any convenient type, for example, foam, fiberglass mesh, paper and/or cloth-paper combinations. The particulate filter 205 is an optional feature and is shown in dotted lines to indicate that its inclusion in the various inventive embodiments is optional.

In another exemplary embodiment, an optional desiccation element 210 is provided to remove moisture from the air 200 drawn into the housing 5. The desiccation element 210 is intended to be used in elevated humidity environments which may limit the effectiveness of evaporative cooling by the hydrating element 215. The desiccation element 210 may include active hydroscopic media such as silica gel, calcium sulfate, calcium chloride, montmorillonite clay, and/or rice to remove humidity from the air 200 drawn into the housing 5. The desiccation element 210 is likewise an optional feature and is shown in dotted lines to indicate that its inclusion in the various inventive embodiments is optional.

In an exemplary embodiment, a hydrating element 215 is disposed between the air inlet 10 and air outlet 245 from the interior cavity 5A, 5B of the housing 5. Ambient air 200 drawn into the housing 5 is passed through the hydrating element 215 which causes heat to be transferred from the air to water absorbed in the active hydrating media. The transferred heat causes a portion of the water to be converted in state from liquid to vapor which is released 220 through one or more discharge ports 15, carrying the heat away from the air flowing through the hydrating element 215. The air flow is thus evaporatively cooled by the heat carried away by the escaping water vapor 220. The active hydrating media may be water absorbed onto cellulose, wood fiber, sponge, cloth, water ice, cloth-paper or clay media.

The axially mounted fan 225 is sized to draw air 200 through the various elements 205, 210, 215, 240 and out through the air outlet 245. In an exemplary embodiment, the axially mounted fan 225 is installed in a partition 235 which separates the hydrating element 215 from the cooling element 240. The placement of the partition 235 between the hydrating element 215 and the cooling element 240 is not required but advantageous to minimize ambient heat from reducing the cooling capacity of the cooling element 240. In an exemplary embodiment, the cooling element 245 is disposed between the partition 235 and the air outlet 245 from the interior cavity 5A, 5B of the housing 5. In this exemplary embodiment, the cooling element 240 is contained in a separate compartment 5B from the hydrating element 215 in order to provide insulation 325 (FIG. 3) around this portion of the interior cavity 5B. The air inlet portion of the interior cavity 5A does not require insulation.

The cooling element 240 contains an active cooling media which is previously cooled to well below the ambient air temperature of the air 200 being drawn into the interior cavity 5A, 5B. The active media may be placed inside the cooling element 240 via a lid 240′. The lid 240′ allows the interior of the cooling element 240 to be filled with the active cooling media. The active cooling media may be water ice, dry ice, refrigerant gel, or any combination thereof. The refrigerant gel may be comprised of hydroxyethyl cellulose, vinyl coated silica gel or any other media having a sufficient latent heat capacity. In another exemplary embodiment, the various active cooling media may be suspended in a mesh having sufficient porosity to allow air flow through the cooling element 240. In other exemplary embodiments, one or more commercially available GelPacks may be used as the active cooling media. To the extent reasonably possible, when using solid blocks of ice (either water or dry ice) or GelPacks, the blocks should be arranged to allow air flow through the cooling element 240 to maximize heat transfer between the air flow and the active cooling media. The air 200 flowing through the cooling element 240 exits the interior cavity 5A, 5B of the housing 5 through the air outlet 245 and may then discharge into the flexible exhaust duct 40. The flexible exhaust duct 40 may then be positioned by the user to route the cooled air flow into a particular location or into an enclosed structure, for example a tent.

Referring to FIG. 3, a top view of a portable air cooling system 100 in accordance with an exemplary embodiment is depicted. In this exemplary embodiment, the various air treatment elements 205, 210, 215, 240 are shown held in place within the interior cavity 5A, 5B of the housing 5 with U-shaped channel members 305, 305′, 310, 310′, 315, 315′ 320, 320′. The U-shaped channel members 305, 305′, 310, 310′, 315, 315′ 320, 320′ are dimensioned to span a width of each element 205, 210, 215, 240 and maintain the various air treatment elements on opposing sides. One skilled in the art will appreciate that other mechanisms to secure the various elements 205, 210, 215, 240 within the interior cavity 5A, 5B of the housing 5 may be employed as well. The exemplary nature of the U-shaped channel members 305, 305′, 310, 310′, 315, 315′ 320, 320′ is shown in dotted lines to indicate that this arrangement is optional. In an exemplary embodiment, baffles 330, 330′ may be provided to direct the air flow into the compartment 5B containing the cooling element 240. The baffles 330, 330′ are likewise optional. The compartment 5B containing the cooling element 240 may preferably be insulated 320 for extending the life of the active cooling media included with the cooling element 240.

Referring to FIG. 4, a block diagram of an electrical circuit in accordance with an exemplary embodiment is depicted. In this exemplary embodiment, the photovoltaic panel 30 is electrically connected 230 to an optional energy management unit 405. The energy management unit 405 allows excess power generated by the photovoltaic panel 30 to charge a battery 410. Alternately, when power output from the photovoltaic panel 30 falls below that required to power the fan 225, the energy management unit 405 draws power from the battery to power the fan 225. This arrangement extends the time in which cooling may be provided by the portable air cooling system 100. In another exemplary embodiment an power switch 425 may be provided to allow the user to turn the portable air cooling system 100 on or off as desired. In another exemplary embodiment, a motor speed control 420 may be provided which controls the speed of the fan 225. The motor speed control 420 may be used to change the speed of the fan 225 as desired by the user in response to personal preferences and/or changing environmental conditions. One skilled in the art will appreciate that the energy management unit 405, power switch 425 and/or motor speed control 420 may integrated into a common unit. Other electronic features such as a thermostat may be integrated into one or more of the units as well.

Referring to FIG. 5A, a perspective view of an active cooling media in accordance with an exemplary embodiment is depicted. In this exemplary embodiment, the lid 240′ which allows access into an interior compartment of the cooling element 240 is lifted and water ice 510 is poured from an ice bag 505 into the interior compartment of the cooling element 240. The water ice 510 may be in any convenient form however, crushed ice or cubes may provide better cooling due to increases in exposed surface areas. Once a sufficient amount of active cooling media has been added to the cooling element 240, the lid 240′ is closed and the cooling element 240 replaced into the housing 5.

Referring to FIG. 5B, another perspective view of an active cooling media in accordance with an exemplary embodiment is depicted. In this exemplary embodiment, the lid 240′ which allows access into the interior compartment of the cooling element 240 is lifted and one or more Gel Packs 515 are stacked within the interior compartment of the cooling element 240. The Gel Packs 515 may be in any convenient form however, cubes or elongated blocks may provide better cooling due to increases in exposed surface areas. As before, once a sufficient amount of active cooling media has been added to the cooling element 240, the lid 240′ is closed and the cooling element 240 replaced into the housing 5. In another exemplary embodiment, a coarse mesh containing the active media used in the gel blocks may be placed in the position of the cooling element 240 as a type of cooling screen (not shown.)

The various exemplary inventive embodiments described herein are intended to be merely illustrative of the principles underlying the inventive concept. It is therefore contemplated that various modifications of the disclosed embodiments will without departing from the inventive spirit and scope be apparent to persons of ordinary skill in the art. They are not intended to limit the various exemplary inventive embodiments to any precise form described. In particular, it is contemplated that the portable air cooling system may be constructed from any suitable material with different dimensions and/or cross-sectional profiles. No specific limitation is intended to a particular construction material(s), assembly order, shape or sequence described. Other variations and inventive embodiments are possible in light of the above teachings, and it is not intended that the inventive scope be limited by this specification, but rather by the Claims following herein. 

What is claimed:
 1. A portable air cooling system comprising: a housing having an air inlet, an air outlet, an exterior surface and an interior cavity; a fan axially disposed within the interior cavity for generating an air flow drawn from the air inlet, through the interior cavity and discharged through the air outlet; a photovoltaic panel electrically coupled to the fan having sufficient electrical generating capacity to at least power the fan during daylight hours; a cooling element disposed intermediate the air inlet and air outlet and aligned such that the air flow intersects the cooling element broadside.
 2. The portable air cooling system of claim 1 wherein the housing further comprises thermal insulation intermediate a wall of the interior cavity and exterior surface.
 3. The portable air cooling system of claim 1 wherein the cooling element includes ice.
 4. The portable air cooling system of claim 1 wherein the cooling element includes a refrigerant gel.
 5. The portable air cooling system of claim 1 wherein the cooling element includes a combination of ice and a refrigerant gel.
 6. The portable air cooling system of claim 4 wherein the refrigerant gel consists of hydroxyethyl cellulose or vinyl coated silica gel.
 7. The portable air cooling system of claim 1 wherein the housing has coupled thereto an adjustable geometry mount for positioning of the photovoltaic panel.
 8. A portable air cooling system comprising: a housing having an air inlet, an air outlet, an exterior surface and an interior cavity; a fan axially disposed within the interior cavity for generating an air flow drawn from the air inlet, through the interior cavity and discharged through the air outlet; a photovoltaic panel electrically coupled to the fan having sufficient electrical generating capacity to at least power the fan during daylight hours; a hydrating element disposed intermediate the air inlet and air outlet for removing latent heat from the air flow by evaporation; a cooling element disposed intermediate the air inlet and air outlet for removing latent heat from the air flow by convection; wherein the air flow intersects at least the hydrating element broadside.
 9. The portable air cooling system of claim 8 wherein the hydrating and cooling elements are combined into a single element.
 10. The portable air cooling system of claim 9 wherein an active medium of the single element is ice.
 11. The portable air cooling system of claim 10 wherein the ice is maintained in a mesh container which allows the air flow therethrough.
 12. The portable air cooling system of claim 8 wherein the cooling element is disposed in a spaced series relationship with the hydrating element.
 13. The portable air cooling system of claim 8 wherein the cooling element is disposed downstream from the hydrating element relative to the air flow.
 14. The portable air cooling system of claim 8 wherein the photovoltaic panel is pivotally attached to the housing.
 15. A portable air cooling system comprising: a housing having an air inlet, an air outlet, an exterior surface and an interior cavity; a fan axially disposed within the interior cavity for generating an air flow drawn from the air inlet, through the interior cavity and discharged through the air outlet; a photovoltaic panel electrically coupled to the fan having sufficient electrical generating capacity to at least power the fan during daylight hours; a hydrating element disposed intermediate the air inlet and air outlet for removing latent heat from the air flow by evaporation; a cooling element disposed intermediate the air inlet and air outlet for removing latent heat from the air flow by convection; wherein the hydrating element and cooling element are disposed in a spaced series relationship within the housing.
 16. The portable air cooling system of claim 15 further comprising a desiccating element disposed intermediate the air inlet and the hydrating element.
 17. The portable air cooling system of claim 15 further comprising a particulate filter element disposed intermediate the air inlet and the hydrating element.
 18. The portable air cooling system of claim 15 wherein the hydrating element and cooling element are disposed in separate compartments within the housing.
 19. The portable air cooling system of claim 15 wherein the cooling element comprises at least one gel pack.
 20. The portable air cooling system of claim 15 wherein the housing further comprises a flexible exhaust duct coupled to the air outlet. 